From “Herbie” to “Bumblebee”
KITT costs 1,011 euros: insurance for film cars in comparison
March 6, 2026 – 4:59 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
From the turbo Pontiac to the magical Beetle: A comparison portal shows what it would cost to insure the famous screen racers.
This car had extras that many people still dream of today. KITT, known from the cult television series “Knight Rider”, could talk, reach speeds of up to 480 kilometers per hour and jump over obstacles using Turbo Boost. But owners have to pay significantly more to insure a Pontiac Firebird Trans Am than for other famous film and TV vehicles.
The comparison portal Verivox calculated the insurance costs for a total of five film vehicles. The benchmark is the cheapest tariffs for a 45-year-old Berliner (no-claims class 14) with an annual mileage of 12,000 kilometers.
According to the calculation, this Berliner would have to pay a total of 1,011 euros per year for his insurance for the Trans Am on which KITT is based. It should be noted at this point: The calculation was based on a commercially available Trans Am. Special features such as speaking ability, artificial intelligence and other of KITT’s abilities are currently not insurable.
“Bumblebee” from the Transformer films, on the other hand, would come off cheaper. The Chevrolet Camaro (2009 model) costs the model Berliner 916 euros per year. Since “Bumblebee” speaks to the driver via the car radio, a tariff would be necessary that insures this at the new price. This costs – with further extras – an additional 457 euros.
At 239 euros a year, insurance for the film beetle “Herbie” would be a real bargain. This would mean that the protection would be 321 euros cheaper than with a Golf VIII. Aljoscha Ziller, managing director of Verivox Versicherungsvergleich GmbH, recommends taking out classic car insurance: “With classic car insurance, older vehicles are cheaper and insured with a higher coverage amount.” At the same time there are stricter conditions. “The car must be in original and good condition, which owners must prove with a report, it must not exceed a low annual mileage and must not be used in everyday life.”
The “Fast & Furious” film series is also very popular with tuning fans. To insure the Mitsubishi Eclipse, which the main actor Paul Walker drives in the first film in the series, all-round protection costs 592 euros a year – including special equipment of 10,000 euros. But be careful: Illegal vehicle racing is not included in the insurance cover.
The general rule is: Structural changes must always be reported to the insurer. In the event of violations, the insurer can reduce benefits. Termination of the contract or additional premium demands are also conceivable.
